Adwaita

Adwaita (meaning "one and only" in Sanskrit) (c. 1750 – 22 March 2006), also spelled Addwaita, was a male Aldabra giant tortoise. When he died, he was thought to be one of the longest-living animals in the world.

He may have come from Aldabra, in the Seychelles, although this has not been confirmed. He and four other tortoises lived at Robert Clive's estate in Barrackpore, Calcutta. It was said that Clive got the tortoises after he won the Battle of Plassey in 1757. Carl Louis Schwendler, the founder of Alipore Zoo, moved Adwaita there in 1875 or 1876. Adwaita lived there until he died on 22 March 2006 when he was about 255 years old.

References

Category:Individual tortoises